The present invention relates generally to a basting apparatus for use in automatically basting food. More particularly, the present application involves a basting apparatus that has a passageway through which basting fluids rise via pressure during cooking of the food for subsequent deposit onto the food.
Preparation of food items, such as meat, often requires periodic basting during the preparation process. This is done in order to prevent the meat from drying out and becoming tough while being cooked. The act of basting causes the meat to remain moist while being cooked and results in improved tenderness and taste.
It is common practice for the cook to apply basting fluids manually to the meat during the preparation process. For example, the meat may be located in a roasting pan that also includes juices and gravy. At certain intervals the cook will open the oven and lift the juices and gravy from the roasting pan with a spoon and subsequently pour these basting fluids over the meat. Alternatively, instead of using a spoon the cook may use a suction device to pull juices and gravy from the pan for subsequent application to the meat. Manual application of basting fluids to the meat has drawbacks and inefficiencies. For example, the cook may fail to apply the basting fluid evenly to the meat thus resulting in certain portions of the meat being basted properly while others are not properly basted. Further, the act of manually basting consumes much needed time of the cook that could otherwise be spent on preparing other items of the meal.
Automatic basting devices are known that eliminate the need for a cook to manually baste food during the preparation process. One such device employs multiple spray nozzles suspended in spaced relation along a tube and above the location in which the food will be positioned while being cooked. A pressurized source of basting fluid is provided and a timer device is present in order to open valves at specific intervals to cause the spray nozzles to dispense basting fluid onto the meat. Although such a device works well for its intended purpose it requires that a supply of compressed air or pressurized basting fluid be present during operation. Also, a great deal of time and money must be spent in order to retrofit certain ovens with such a basting device.
Other automatic basting devices have been proposed that employ a U-shaped standard in a roasting pan. Basting fluids condense in the upper portion and drip onto the meat. Although capable of being adjusted in the vertical direction the U-shaped standard cannot be adjusted in the lengthwise direction and hence may allow basting fluids to miss contact with the meat. Further, the U-shaped standard causes pressure in both of the legs of the standard to oppose one another thus resulting in a lesser amount of fluid application to the food.
Another automatic basting device includes a series of flexible tubes extending from a base that with the roasting pan defines a chamber. Meat is located on top of the base and water is ejected from the series of flexible tubes onto the meat. The flexible tubes can be moved in order to place food onto and remove food from the base. Although this device is capable of supplying water to the meat it cannot be modified by the cook to accommodate variously sized pieces of meat and requires a roasting pan of a particular size and configuration. As such, there remains room for variation and improvement within the art.